Scaleish Bronco Build Full Exo, High Lift Axles, etc Pics inside

[jamesbernatchez]

Well im in the process of building up a truck while I wait for my Diaz TLT truck setup and Bender SW2 chassis. I had traded one of my High Lift bodysets for a used scale chassis, custom painted bronco body, and full exo that bolts right to the chassis:

Pictures are from Nluvwithxlr8ing on RCC(I will get my own tonight)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pe352d20ecfc1b552b421fa6d1b4ba04f/ebbf9b61.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pbfcba76bdd922976cbd194984f8d5b22/ebbf9b43.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pb962ad354b1ca1e8b1840ea094d0fdbe/ebbf9b32.jpg


Some of the holes seem off a bit in the chassis but overall im MORE than pleased with it. This was one of his first chassis. Its all in great shape. Last night I began to put it all together. The links I bought were too long(137mm) so I ordered some shorter ones(105mm and 108mm links) along with some different shocks. I had purchased rear Duratrax evader shocks but they are too long. I needed shorter shocks so I ordered all this:

DuraTrax Shock Set Front Assembled Evader BX (2) - Ordered 3
Trinity 15 Weight Silicone Shock Oil - Ordered 1
DuraTrax Shock Bushing Black Evader ST (4) - Ordered 4
DuraTrax Shock Shaft Rear Evader ST (2) - Ordered 4
DuraTrax Shock Shaft Front Evader BX (2) - Ordered 4
DuraTrax E-Clip 2.5mm (10) - Ordered 3
DuraTrax Shock Seal Set Evader ST (2) - Ordered 4
DuraTrax Shock Parts Set Evader ST - Ordered 4

I will be able to mix and match shock bodies with shafts to get the desired height(I hope LOL)

I made mounts for the high lift axles to mount a four link setup. The outer links were easy..it was the two inner links that stumped me. I finally figured out a way and if the wheelbase wasnt so long and the tires didnt hit the front and back of the truck I would have around 6" of flex. The wheelbase as it sits now is 13" and once the new links are mounted im hoping for around 12 to 12 1/2". Not real sure of the ride height but I had around 3 1/2" center ground clearance. The truck sits too high as is though.

I am running RC4WD beadlocks with Moabs. The beadlocks are nice but mine shipped with silver rings when I thought they were supposed to be black. The finish is nice but the rings do have some scuffs on them. Overall they are nice and serve their purpose.

The biggest challange is going to be mounting the steering servo(youll see why when you see the pics of the axle). There is no where to put it on the axle. I was planning on putting it on the chassis but am afraid when I turn the wheels the chassis will just tilt. If anyone can offer suggestions im all ears.

The rest of my gear will be as follows:

45 turn lathe motor
Traxxas pede tranny
Traxxas pede driveshafts w/ metal yokes
Super Rooster or XRS esc
High Torque steering servo

Its funny how this started. I was planning on just trading and holding on to the exo, chassis, and body for down the road. Once I saw it I knew I had to do something with it....NOW! LMK what you think so far and any suggestions feel free to post up.

More pics to come tonight.

James

[4DMNYC]

Very very interesting. Please keep us updated on your progress.

[z-man280]

James, you scare me at times.......

I give this one........3 months,...maybe 2.

[4DMNYC]

LOL, if you do get rid of this one, please keep me in mind;)

[bashin Maxxer15]

Sounds like a cool project.....

[jamesbernatchez]

James, you scare me at times.......

I give this one........3 months,...maybe 2.


Hey Ron,

At least all these new projects are cool :D

Wait to you see my other two builds ;)

4DMNYC- Ill sell it to you for the low low price of my mom.......................... :huh: wait that doesnt make sense :p

[z-man280]

hey james, i will donate my failed magnum body to crush!:wave:

[norcalracer_707]

This is gonna be sweet. Only if I had a place to go rock crawling, i'd do a bulid up. You should rename the thread on how to make people drool, lol.

[jamesbernatchez]

Here are pics as of now. Please note that the wheelbase is obviously way to long(almost 14") and it sits too high. I have ordered all necessary parts to fix that but I just wanted to show you my progress so far. Got a couple of pics of my 4 link setup. It seems to work well but I wont know until I run it.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pd84db7fd069db58d69e871a37b8ff808/ebbdbcf5.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p6913d9699fcb9a200e84fb67a891874b/ebbdbcf3.jpg

Here are my beadlocks with moabs:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p906f2f96a2883f6059eb0268ced5974a/ebbdbc11.jpg

And a teaser of it so far:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p783dd505435c48977d497f12d383bb07/ebbdbc0f.jpg

Oh ok fine, ill show you the rest......

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p5ed2349f77ecc36cff6d4e31dfb9a75c/ebbdbc07.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pc256ff087d9dac7afe7562b9395d5274/ebbdbbfd.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pf9e5797df63482d1fa6b78a87858c2e8/ebbdbace.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p1cbad1789de56c11a19696d56a1ff343/ebbdbab4.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p04da4dac7d7bffda66defa7fe17cf325/ebbdba58.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p20bd93a158e623765e4557be9a692153/ebbdba15.jpg

[jamesbernatchez]

My pics of the body in which you can really see the skulls but in actuality they are less visable:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p67e9287476b72ec433f11a957e576e28/ebbdbb72.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p5dd55852351ba8bdfc2f10e44a40df71/ebbdbb70.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pb8da379c2d63df51bdecfd12b1a08752/ebbdbb0d.jpg

And here is what it looks like as of now....

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pe534193c088b3c8c0fc0531a94cc3bc0/ebbdb940.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p80d6ef5ea7ee084d7e7513f8511eabb8/ebbdb93b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pfb9ff84b251546be75dd57e91bede05c/ebbdb90e.jpg

I still need to lock the tranny, install motor, driveshafts, battery, esc, and servo(no idea where).

[MattHiggins]

That truck and Tootsie Rolls both rock.

[4DMNYC]

Dude, another beautiful creation! Where do you find the time? :huh:

[z-man280]

man, i swear, if i had your money, i would burn mine James. Now we know why insurance premiums are so high!!:eek: We are feeding your little habits, arent we James???


Seriously tho, nice looking ride bud, PaulO spots that thing, he is gonna nab ya for readers rides!!

now, we MUST see a Hi-lift jack made too!

[blktransam]

James you sir make my mouth drop everytime I see your creations...keep up the good work bud! :D

[jamesbernatchez]

Thanks guys :D

Once im done with all 3, each month I will send in one to readers ride(my old highlift, this, my diaz leaf sprung tlt(wait till you see this :)), and my Bender SW2 comp rig. Maybe ill get like 3 years of the mag, LOL

Hell, Id be stoked if I got readers ride of the month once.

[bashin Maxxer15]

Very, very nice job so far. Keep it up!

[balang_479]

wow, looks amazing. and i dont think its too long, from what ive seen it looks just right,

[jamesbernatchez]

A little update:

Im working on the bronco and hope to have that near completion by the weekend. I got the new links along with my metal yokes so more will be done tonight along with pictures. Last night I sat at my desk forever...... trying to figure out a steering setup that didnt bind on any of the links. Figuring out a steering setup is a PITA :mad: I was stumped but I finally figured it out late last night. The reason it was so hard was because im using highlift axles and they dont have a mount like the tlt axles to mount a servo directly to them. Since its a scale build I figured out a way to mount the servo to the frame. There is a bit of bump steer when articulating one way but other than that it seems like it will work well. Its a trail rig, not a crawler so it will suit it fine! Pics will be up tonight.

[jamesbernatchez]

Guess what...............its in running condition. There are few small areas I need to fix but its F&@(*&G amazing :D :D I was afraid of the way I was running the steering linkages and servo but it seems to work well. I was skeptical using highlift axles but it seems fine. There is also some bump steer but overall its great! I just ran it a bit in my room and im verrrry impressed. I think my scale bronco is done! I just need to make a few plates to mount the electronics. I love it. Pics and a first video will be done tomorrow. The vid wont be anything special just something showing you it actually works. I guess my ideas arnt bad after all. Until tomorrow..........

[jamesbernatchez]

I forgot to add:

The tranny has been lowered, the wheelbase shortened to exactly 12 1/2" from wheel nut to wheel nut, and the ride height was lowered. Center ground clearance is about 3 1/4" Tomorrow you will find out the rest :)

[jamesbernatchez]

Well well well....First off it runs better than I ever dreamed of :D I just "crawled" on some rocks and its awesome. I thought I would get stuck and it went over it like it was paved road. I can say it exceded my expectations. The one small issue is I cannot run the exo cage anymore...sorry fellas. I will still run the bronco body but sans the cage. I may just sell it as I cannot use it. I mocked up a Ford F-100 body and that looks real cool too. I would take pics but I want it to be complete to my standards, LOL. Soooooo pics and hopefully a vid definitly tomorrow...I promise :)

[savage100]

Why doesn't the cage fit? If i had that I wouldn't even run it with that sweet bronco body without the cage. But anyway that thing is so cool. Nice job i hope to see a video of it soon.

[jamesbernatchez]

......If i had that I wouldn't even run it with that sweet bronco body without the cage. But anyway that thing is so cool. Nice job i hope to see a video of it soon.

Then your not gonna like what I did to the body :D

What you have all been waiting for......the pictures.

Its not very scale right now due to me having to cut the body. I plan on putting a scale body on it(I think FJ Cruiser) when I get one. It runs very well. I crawled for about a half hour all over my yard and back woods. NONE of the pics are staged. It got to where you see it. It works alot better then expected. I plan on getting a different mount for the battery to lower the CG. Steering works well too. There is bump steer a bit but nothing that makes it hard to run. I like this truck ALOT. I had to cut the rear of the body as it would hit the tires. Should I cut the front too? It didnt hit at all. Its more fun to piece a truck together than I thought. Ill let the pics speak for themselves:


http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8520.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8518.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8517.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8527.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8531.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8519.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8533.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8532.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8443.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8434.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8445.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8459.jpg

[jamesbernatchez]

And more.........

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8488.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8511.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8500.jpg

This is the one your not gonna like :eek: :)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8476.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8473.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8466.jpg

Here is an idea as to the amount of flex:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8503.jpg

This is as far as i could go otherwise it would tip...not too bad I must say:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8506.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/IMG_8507.jpg

Let me know what you all think of it. Ill get some video of it soon.

Im hoping to get my Diaz TLT today or Monday..and you can count on pics of that too!

[savage100]

I am a member of rc crawler too and that is one of the coolest crawlers that i have ever seen. The body doesn't look that bad when it is cut acually and the good thing about crawlers is when you flip it isn't as bad a when a monster truck going 40 mph is... usually :) . I like the lowered look better than before. Sweeeet truck.

[awnelson]

hey James, I noticed someone on trade forum with an FJ body they were getting rid of. Truck looks pretty good.

[jamesbernatchez]

I think im gonna keep the bronco for now...

I just got my "other" truck....lets just say its very cool :D

[MattHiggins]

Truck looks great. Make sure you keep it long enough to come do a few GTGs and comps with us this spring.

[XXWoodmanXX]

James,

Excellent scaler you have there. :)

One question,.... are you going to flip your steering servo horn around and invert the channel? That horn sticking out like there looks quite......vulnerable. ;) Excellent build-up, sir. I look forward to another one real soon. :cool:

[jamesbernatchez]

Thanks Matt- How long is long enough? From wheel nut to wheel nut is almost exactly 12 3/4 inches. Isnt that too long? Wheelbase is 10 inches. Im using 125mm links in the rear and 115mm in the front. I can switch it out to the 115mm in the rear and I think I would be right under the 12 1/2 inch mark.

Hey Woodman :) Thats a good idea. Ill have to try that later and see if it works as well. That is actually how my other truck is set up.

[jamesbernatchez]

Well i did a few things to it:

I put TLT axles on it, steering servo relocated to axle, took the foams out and put airsoft bb's in tires, and used the bender link mounts on the axle. I also changed the body to the Ram which I think looks awesome on the truck. Here are a few pics of today but it died within 10 minutes of running it. I forgot to charge the battery before I left the house.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4697.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4676.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4681.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4683.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4687.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4690.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4692.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/jamesbernatchez/Scale%20RC/DSCN4695.jpg

[mdrevo]

james..that little rig is hot...i'll give it a week or two...it'll be 4sale...lmao :wave:

[jamesbernatchez]

LOL..i dont know...you never know with me!

[rs4 rally boi]

very kewl! :cool: im deffinatly inlove with the ram body right now.

[savage100]

Very cool. I hope to see a video soon.

[bashin Maxxer15]

Awesome job James!!!

[jamesbernatchez]

Very cool. I hope to see a video soon.


Search "Devil's Playground" :D

[zack221]

man i love that dodge body it looks good

[zack221]

in the devil playground vid what is the cage made out of on that yellow crawler

[zack221]

nevermind i found some tubing

[tyler2740]

just ordered a tlt1 online...plan on modifing it alot..basicly just bought it for the axles and a few other parts...what trany is a good cheap one and does it need to be locked or just my axles? what kind of trany does the tlt1 come with and is it any good? will i need to by new links for my four link suspinsion or can i use the stock ones? what is a good, cheap chassis to buy?? basicly what do i need to do and buy to make a bad a$$ rock crawler? Tyler,

[Kden46]

Great looking Rig! (both versions) ;)

I like the Bronco with the EXO Cage! But the new truck looks good to.

tyler the stock tranny is a belt driven one. And it's not to bad, but not the greatest either.

There are a few transmissions out there that can be used like the Stampede, B4/T4, XX/XXT, XXX/XXXT.

I would say for what you seem to want you will want to lock the tranny as well as the axles.

You will need new links unless you plan on having a very short wheelbase?

Checkout RCCrawler.com in the TLT section for more info and ideas.